And now we meet Kili! Yay! Thank you to the following: Cockapoo, reclaim the gold, Riccarda, and laithano for reviewing.
As Fili aged, he and Farria were almost inseparable. Farria taught him to run almost before he had learned to walk. She didn't teach him to pickpocket or throw knives, though she herself didn't stop these activities. Farria's only frustration with her brother was that he was, by her standards, a slow learner. Farria had taught herself just about everything, and picked things up from just seeing them once. Fili required teaching, and wasn't as fast on the uptake.
When Farria was ten and Fili five, Dis bore another child. This time Farria had an idea of what was going on, while Fili was the one confused. Again Thorin kept Dis' other children to keep them out of the way.
This birth was more difficult than Fili's had been. Thorin had to keep Fili occupied, as Farria had vanished. Thorin had a few ideas where his niece had gotten to, but as long as she wasn't thieving—she hadn't dropped her bad habits, just kept them away from Fili—he didn't really care.
When one who had helped with the birth arrived—finally—Thorin knew he had to find his niece. After sending Fili off to visit his mother and new sibling, Thorin set off to locate Farria.
After fifteen minutes Thorin found her in one of the training rooms. She had dragged a training dummy to the center of the floor and there were knives flashing through the air.
Thorin stood for a few minutes, watching, admiring Farria's aim. Not only did she always hit the target, she almost always hit the kill zone.
Finally Thorin had to step forward and get Farria's attention.
Once Farria had retrieved her knives—which Thorin noticed were quite beat up—the replaced the dummy, she followed Thorin down the hallways.
They reached the rooms and Farria led the way in.
Fili was sitting on a chair, clutching a squirming bundle, with his father hovering over him, presumably to intervene in the five-year-old was to drop the baby.
Fili looked up as Farria and Thorin entered the room. "I has a brudder, and his name is Kiwi!" Fili announced proudly.
Thorin glanced at his sister. "Please tell me he meant 'Kili.'"
Dis nodded.
"Ah," Thorin said. "I'm very glad that my nephew will not have to go through life named after an exotic fruit."
Farria laughed, then went over to look at Kili. She grinned. "He's cute."
Fili wrinkled his nose. "You sound like a girl."
Farria laughed. "That's because I am a girl, silly."
Fili frowned. "But you don't act like it."
Thorin slipped out the room silently as Farria and Fili discussed how much Farria acted like a girl—or not, rather.
Kili, who was still being held by Fili, squirmed inside the blanket wrapped tightly around him.
Farria leaned over and gently took Kili from Fili's arms. She whispered softly to him, running a finger lightly along his nose.
The next day, as the group was again with Dis, fawning over Kili, Thorin entered carrying a soft leather bag. He drew out a piece of wood and handed it to Fili. The young dwarf's eyes went wide was he realized that what he had been handed was a wooden sword. He danced around the room waving the sword, then hit Farria's leg with it, and shouted, "Now you're dead, Faiwia!"
Farria, who had been holding Kili, handed the baby to her father, then chased Fili around the room. "I'll get you, little warrior."
Fili shrieked excitedly and hid behind Thorin.
"I have something for you, too, Farria," Thorin said. "Fili, leave your sister alone."
Thorin pulled a wooden box from his bag. Farria opened it, and her face split into a wide smile. "Thank you, thank you, Uncle Thorin!"
Fili crept over to his sister and peered into her box. "What dey, Faiwia? Dey shiny."
Farria drew a small, shining blade from the box, one of ten. The hilt was set with a glistening blue stone. "They're new throwing knives."
Dis frowned at her brother. "Throwing knives, Thorin? Really?"
Thorin shrugged. "I got to see her throwing yesterday. She hit the training dummy every time, and the targets on the dummy nearly every time. She is very good at it."
Farria ducked her head and returned the knife to its place in the box.
That afternoon saw Thorin, Farria, and Fili in one of the training rooms. Thorin had his own wooden sword, and was teaching his nephew how to use his while Farria practiced with her new set of knives.
After about half an hour, Fili—still young at five—began to tire. When he headed over to a corner to sit on a pile of mats Thorin exchanged his wooden sword for a real one, and gestured Farria over.
The pair started to spar, Thorin shouting out instructions and reminders to the ten-year-old. Finally, after a badly timed blow nearly took off Farria's fingers, the group ended practice for the day.